Chinese iPhone gets Wi-Fi, Apple granted iPhone design patent

An updated iPhone with support for the Chinese national standard for Wi-Fi has received regulatory approval in China, while in the U.S. Apple was awarded a patent for ownership of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS design.

Chinese iPhone with WAPI Wi-Fi approved

According to IDG News, last month Chinese regulators approved a new iPhone with 3G and WAPI, or WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure. WAPI is a natively created Chinese security protocol for wireless Internet access.

"China has promoted the protocol, along with other homegrown technologies like the 3G standard TD-SCDMA, as part of a vision to produce more of its own technology and have it adopted by international companies," the report said. It also noted that the new iPhone, which is just the existing model with wireless Internet, could also support standard Wi-Fi.

The new handset has not yet been released for sale.

The iPhone was first released in China last year on the China Unicom network. The hardware did not have Wi-Fi. The feature was left out because the Chinese government had temporarily banned it in favor of a rival native offering. That ban was relaxed in May 2009, after manufacturing of the iPhone began.

For months, China Unicom is said to have been in talks with Apple to sell the Wi-Fi-enabled phone. Considering many users do not want to rely on expensive data plans for their handset, the addition is considered to be an extremely important move for Apple in the Chinese market.

Apple awarded ownership of iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS designs

Apple this week was granted a patent for the design of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Patent No. D615083 was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

While the included images feature all of the buttons and inputs that are standard on the iPhone, the illustrations lack the device's standard home button, also found on the iPod touch and iPad.

In March, Apple secured ownership of another design win for the stainless steel bezel found on the company's handset. The patent noted the design was created through the cold worked stainless steel manufacturing process, which makes it hard and resistant to impacts.

I was still never able to find out what Apple did to the China Unicom iPhone to disable WiFi. It seems like it was a physical change, not just a driver and OS removal of the WiFi elements, but removing the WiFI chip doesn't make much sense as that also means you have to replace the Bluetooth chip. Anyone know of any breakdown photos of that device?

Quote:

Originally Posted by digitalclips

Will this send AAPL higher I wonder ...

Speaking of the stock price, I'd love to see a TD-SCDMA iPhone on China Mobile. They have over 540,000,000 subscribers and a strong desire to use the iPhone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWS

I think it will. Lack of WiFi on the initial model in China was a significant factor in less then stellar sales IMO.

I was surprised at how high the official sales were despite the lack of WiFi, knowledge that it would be arriving soon, the high price of the handset, and the availability of the grey market gray market iPhones.

I don't understand design patents. How is that in this case you are able to patent a look? What kind of protection does such a patent give (in reality and also theoretical I guess)? Any examples where a design patent has been successfully used to protect a product (i.e., to keep someone from encroaching)?

Does this give rights to this design for a phone to Apple for ALL OS's? Seems like it is a little late - everyone and their brother has copied this look.

How much do I have to change this "design" to say it is not infringing (i.e., does the addition of the home button - not shown change it enough that anyone could copy it with a button)?

"In March, Apple secured ownership of another design win for the stainless steel bezel found on the company's handset"

That is not a design win. Chrome looks best on lairy cars with bad styling. It's closer to a fail. But I think the new iPhone drops the chrome so it might be a win!

As to the modified iphone approval, does this mean there will be another different China-spec iphone around if they produce a separate version? iPhone on Ebay is going to be a mess...

The article confuses the issue by talking about the bezel.

The patent on the 3G shape, is more of a trademark than a patent, but the patent on the bezel is for the engineering elements of the bezel. The new 4.0 iPhone for instance has the patented bezel, but it's black not chrome.

The patent on the bezel is important in that it describes a method of holding the glass on and makes the iPhone easy to take apart in that all you need is to loosen the two screws and take a suction cup to the glass.

That can't be true. If it were true, it would mean that Apple is in bed with the ChiComs, making money by designing and sellimg a covert surveilance device to allow a corrupt government to commit human rights violations against its citizens.

The patent on the 3G shape, is more of a trademark than a patent, but the patent on the bezel is for the engineering elements of the bezel. The new 4.0 iPhone for instance has the patented bezel, but it's black not chrome.

The patent on the bezel is important in that it describes a method of holding the glass on and makes the iPhone easy to take apart in that all you need is to loosen the two screws and take a suction cup to the glass.

Thanks for the clarity on the current bezel and the way it works is the basis of the patent. As to 4.0 iPhone of course when we say it has a patented bezel we're assuming I guess that's a forthcoming patent...

the reason that chinese gov. favors its own wifi security over other is because chinese version of wifi security is better, but not able to get nods from IEEE standard committee. there was a big drama on this when IEEE 802.11 finalized its security suite. chinese IEEE participants stormed out of meeting after they were upper handed by other IEEE members, though as matter of facts, chinese proposal is better. at least this was how they felt at the time. so it is natural for chinese to promote its own technology.

but what puzzled me most is that why they don't enforce it on all wifi products but only on cell phone device. a source from telco told me that wifi on laptop computers are made by individual computer makers from all over the world, but telco devices are controlled by government, thus it is easier to be regulated.

yes, grey market iphones are cheaper at the counter, but the cost to enjoy 3G service from china unicom is much more expensive. jailbreak works for techies, not normal users.

i am not sure why ppl keep thinking to use iphone as a secretive anti-government device. if any government wants to surveil my communication with outside world, i don't think iphone with a wifi can somehow escape such miserable reality. any traffic in or out of china go through government ports and all business, foreign or domestic, have to connect to local telco ports. yes, you could encrypt the messages, but unless those are from diplomatic missions, any governments would have authority to ask for how to decode those messages, if they deem it necessary for their own national security, which we might or might agree upon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpotOn

Their own backdoor installed of course.

The Chinese love VOIP, why the grey market there sold so many original wifi iPhones.

I donīt think the WAPI iPhone version is going to make much difference in legal iPhone sales there, the same issues exists.

1: Grey market iPhones are cheaper

2: Jail broken likely

3: Tons of free and preloaded apps, and likely secure ones to keep Uncle Chin from listening in

4: Local support, right next to the dead ducks

5: No paranoid government sponsored WAPI

Life is cheap in China, the population takes it? precautions from the government